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regulatory framework were addressed, at least temporarily. Among the reforms included in the FAST Act were a study of CSA data accuracy and reliability, removal of carrier CSA scores from public view and a requirement that FMCSA initiate a pilot program to review non-preventable crashes. As such, CSA fell out of the top five issues for the first time since its addition to the survey in 2010. However, the industry still has issues with elements of CSA and as such, it retained a top 10 ranking in the 2016 survey. The workforce issues of the Driver

Shortage and Driver Retention ranked lower on the 2016 list than in recent years, most likely reflecting concern over the softening freight market. However, despite the lower ranking this year, it is unlikely that either issue will drop out of the top ten list for the foreseeable future until real solutions are identified for the industry’s staffing challenges. Though the passage of the FAST Act

provided some much needed funding for transportation infrastructure and specifically for freight-focused projects, there is still significant concern in the industry over the state of the nation’s transportation infrastructure and how to generate long- term, secure funding for the transportation system. ATRI research quantified the cost of congestion to the trucking industry at nearly $50 billion in 2014. This is another issue that is likely to stay in the top ten ranking for years to come. The final issue in the top ten ranking

this year was Driver Distraction, a concern which impacts the safety of all motorists on the road. According to 2014 statistics, 3,179 people were killed, and 431,000 were injured in all vehicle crashes involving distracted drivers. Further, 13 percent of distracted driving crashes were directly attributed to cell phone use. The top ranked strategy for addressing distracted driving was to encourage harshwwer penalties and more aggressive enforcement of distracted driving

violations for drivers of all vehicle types. The annual survey was launched in

late-July 2016 and was open for responses through mid-September. Based on the timing of the 2016 survey, a large majority of the responses had been received by ATRI when FMCSA and NHTSA issued the speed limiter rule on August 26, 2016. Given industry reaction to the proposed rule – which seeks input on three different speed limiter settings at 60, 65 and 68 miles per hour – it is likely that the rule may have been selected by survey respondents as one of their top concerns had the timing of the survey been more in line with the issuance of the proposed rule. The 2016 report, Critical Issues in the

Trucking Industry, is available from ATRI’s website at www.atri-online.org. The report includes the results of the annual survey from its beginning in 2005, providing an indicator of rising, falling, and emerging priorities in the trucking industry..